you have to remember nokia is not a one trick pony. they manufacture tons of devices for almost every conceivable segment, from throwaway phones all the way to the N900 i am typing on right now. comparing to apple or htc is ridiculous. if both microsoft and nokia are debuting low price 'social' phones then there must be a market for it. combine this with the gradual degradation of the US carrier subsidization model and it REALLY makes sense. ask yourself what is more important to nokia, making the most money or having the best single platform/device on the market? sometimes those paths cross, but they are not mutually dependent